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B-25 Mitchell units of the United States Army Air Forces
. This aircraft was removed from storage at Tucson, Arizona, and rebuilt by North American Aviation at Inglewood, California, to the configuration the lead B-25B flown by Lt. Col. Doolittle on the Tokyo Raid, B-25B 40-2344. It was flown to the museum in April 1958.]] :See also List of United States Army Air Forces reconnaissance units for F-10 Mitchell reconnaissance groups This is a list of United States Army Air Forces B-25 Mitchell medium bomber units. It does not include non-combat units assigned to units assigned within the United States for Operational Training or Replacement Training. The B-25 medium bomber was one of America's most famous airplanes of World War II. It was the type used by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle for its most famous mission, the Doolittle Raid over Japan on 18 April 1942. The first B-25 test aircraft flew on 19 August 1940, and the first production Mitchell was delivered to the 17th Bombardment Group in February 1941. A total of 9,816 Mitchells were built, greater than any other American twin-engined bomber. The majority of B-25s in American service were used in the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) and the Aleutian Campaign. In the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI), the B-25 was often used to attack Japanese communication links, especially bridges in central Burma. It was also used to help supply the besieged troops at Imphal in 1944. In 1942, the first B-25Bs arrived in Egypt just in time to take part in the Battle of El Alamein. From there the aircraft took part in the rest of the Western Desert Campaign, the invasion of Sicily and the advance up Italy. The five bombardment groups that used the B-25 in the North African desert and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) were the only US units to use the B-25 in Europe. In addition to the bombardment groups, the F-10 photographic reconnaissance variant of the Mitchell was widely used by reconnaissance units. After the war, the B-25 was taken out of front-line service and redesignated as the TB-25, reflecting that they were no longer considered as being combat aircraft. It used in training roles with the United States Air Force for many years, the last example, TB-25J 44-30210 not being retired until 31 January 1959. Units * 3d Bombardment Group : Fifth Air Force (SW Pacific), 1942-1944 : Australia, New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, Philippines : 8th Bombardment Squadron : 13th Bombardment Squadron : 90th Bombardment Squadron : Transitioned to A-20 Havoc, late 1944 * 12th Bombardment Group : Ninth Air Force (Middle East), 1942-1943 : Twelfth Air Force (MTO), 1943-1944 : Tenth Air Force (CBI), 1944-1945 : Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, India : 81st Bombardment Squadron : 82d Bombardment Squadron : 83d Bombardment Squadron : 434th Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated in India, 1945 * 17th Bombardment Group : Doolittle Raid : Second Air Force (ZI), 1941-1942 : Oregon, South Carolina : 34th Bombardment Squadron : 37th Bombardment Squadron : 95th Bombardment Squadron : Doolittle Raider volunteers chosen from all 3 squadrons. : Transitioned to B-26 Marauder, June 1942 * 22d Bombardment Group : Fifth Air Force (SW Pacific), 1942-1944 : Australia, New Guinea, Philippines : 2d Bombardment Squadron : 18th Bombardment Squadron : 19th Bombardment Squadron : 33d Bombardment Squadron : Transitioned to B-24 Liberator, Jan 1944 * 28th Bombardment Group : Eleventh Air Force (Aleutian Campaign), 1941-1945 : Alaska Territory : 37th Bombardment Squadron : 37th Bombardment Squadron : 406th Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated Oct 1945 * 38th Bombardment Group : Fifth Air Force (SW Pacific), 1942-1945 : Australia, New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, Philippines : 71st Bombardment Squadron : 405th Bombardment Squadron : 822d Bombardment Squadron : 823d Bombardment Squadron : Transitioned to A-26 Invader, Sep 1945 * 41st Bombardment Group : Seventh Air Force (Central Pacific), 1943-1946 : Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, Okinawa : 47th Bombardment Squadron : 48th Bombardment Squadron : 396th Bombardment Squadron : 820th Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated Jan 1946 * 42d Bombardment Group : Thirteenth Air Force (South Pacific), 1943-1946 : Solomon Islands, Netherlands East Indies, Philippines : 69th Bombardment Squadron : 70th Bombardment Squadron : 75th Bombardment Squadron : 100th Bombardment Squadron : 390th Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated May 1946 * 310th Bombardment Group : Twelfth Air Force (North Africa), 1942-1943 : Fifteenth Air Force (MTO), 1943-1945 : Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Corsica, Italy : 379th Bombardment Squadron : 380th Bombardment Squadron : 381st Bombardment Squadron : 428th Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated Sep 1945 * 319th Bombardment Group : Twelfth Air Force (North Africa) (MTO), 1944-1945 : Corsica : 437th Bombardment Squadron : 438th Bombardment Squadron : 439th Bombardment Squadron : 440th Bombardment Squadron : Replaced by A-26 Invader * 321st Bombardment Group : Twelfth Air Force (North Africa) (MTO), 1943-1945 : Algeria, Tunisia, Italy : 445th Bombardment Squadron : 446th Bombardment Squadron : 447th Bombardment Squadron : 448th Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated Sep 1945 * 340th Bombardment Group : Ninth Air Force (Middle East), 1942-1943 : Twelfth Air Force (MTO). 1943-1945 : Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy : 486th Bombardment Squadron : 487th Bombardment Squadron : 488th Bombardment Squadron : 489th Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated Nov 1945 * 341st Bombardment Group : Tenth Air Force, Fourteenth Air Force (CBI), 1943-1945 : India, China : 11th Bombardment Squadron : 22d Bombardment Squadron : 491st Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated Nov 1945 * 345th Bombardment Group : Fifth Air Force (SW Pacific), 1942-1945 : New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, Philippines : 498th Bombardment Squadron : 499th Bombardment Squadron : 500th Bombardment Squadron : 501st Bombardment Squadron : Inactivated Dec 1945 References * Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, AL: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4. * * Pace, 2002, B-25 Mitchell Units of the MTO, Osprey Publishing, ISBN 1-84176-284-9 Category:Lists of military units and formations of World War II Category:United States Army Air Forces lists